Cognitive Assessment Tools
These cognitive assessment tools are used to identify individuals who may need additional evaluation. 
No one tool is recognized as the best brief assessment to determine if a full dementia evaluation is needed. However, the expert workgroup identified several instruments suited for use in primary care based on the following: administration time ≤5 minutes, validation in a primary care or community setting, psychometric equivalence or superiority to the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), easy administration by non-physician staff and relatively free of educational, language and/or cultural bias. For a definitive diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, individuals who fail any of these tests should be evaluated further or referred to a specialist.
Patient assessment tools
General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) – Available in multiple languages Mini-Cog™ – Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults- Mini-Cog website
- Mini-Cog (PDF)
Informant tools (family members and close friends)
Eight-item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia (AD8) (PDF)General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) – Available in multiple languages Short Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) – Available in multiple languages
- IQCODE website (Australian National University)
- Short IQCODE - English (PDF)
Learn more: Cognitive Assessment
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